McDonald,+Anthony

** [|Discovered: Zinc ores have been used for making brass (a mixture of copper and zinc) and other alloys since ancient times. A zinc alloy comprising 87.5% zinc was discovered in an ancient site in Transylvania. Zinc smelting began in the 12th century in India by reducing calamine (zinc carbonate, ZnCO3) with wool and other organic materials.] **
 * Date of Discovery ****: ** **1746 **
 * Discoverer ****: **** Andreas Marggraf **
 * Atomic Number 30 || Zinc is A Metal ||
 * Atomic Mass 65.39 || Zinc is A Solid ||

History
 * German Zink, of obscure origin Centuries before zinc was recognized as a distinct element, zinc ores were used for making brass. Tubal-Cain, seven generations from Adam, is mentioned as being an "instructor in every artificer in brass and iron." An alloy containing 87 percent zinc has been found in prehistoric ruins in Transylvania.**
 * Metallic zinc was produced in the 13th century A.D. in India by reducing calamine with organic substances such as wool. The metal was rediscovered in Europe by Marggraf in 1746, who showed that it could be obtained by reducing calamine with charcoal.**


 * Common Uses For Zinc **

**The metal is employed to form numerous alloys with other metals. Brass, nickel silver, typewriter metal, commercial bronze, spring bronze, German silver, soft solder, and aluminum solder are some of the more important alloys.** ** Sources: **** [] [] [] **
 * Large quantities of zinc are used to produce die castings, which are used extensively by the automotive, electrical, and hardware industries. An alloy called Prestal(R), consisting of 78 percent zinc and 22 percent aluminum, is reported to be almost as strong as steel and as easy to mold as plastic. The alloy said to be so moldable that it can be molded into form using inexpensive ceramics or cement die casts.**